Zatch Bell: Next Generation
by figgs13
Summary: Its been 1000 years since the last battle for king. Now, a new generation of mamodo must come forth and battle. This story focuses on a 13 year old mamodo, Todo, in his journey to become king. Accepting OCs, may need a few allies. Format below: Mamodo: Sex: Age: Description: Partner: Sex: Age: Description: Book Color: Spells: Please PM your mamodo to me, so they may be added. :)
1. Chapter 1

As the 25 contestants stood in a row, the halls of Mamodo World Central chimed with the sound of joy. But this was not the only school that had this joy; you could hear it in all four of of the school. You see, today was no ordinary day in the Mamodo World; today was the start of the one hundred mamodo tournament for the throne. Mamodo from all four schools (Dragon Central Prep, M.G. Primary, Solei's School for Special Mamodo, and Mamodo World Central) would be selected to participate in this legendary battle. The prize? A seat on the throne as king for a millennium.

Among these one hundred students stood a mamodo with a white hoodie, faded blue jeans, and white canvas sneakers. Nicknamed 'Todo' by his just about everyone, he was just the average thirteen-year-old mamodo boy. He had no immaculate abilities, and he wasn't too bright. But somehow, someway, he had made it into the competition. He laid back in his seat as the ceremony started.

As the principal of Mamodo World Central stood at the podium, Todo examined him, not that it mattered; he had seen enough of him due to his quick temper and snappy comebacks towards teachers. The principal was a short, stout man, with a freshly trimmed goatee to go along with his silky gray hair. He wore a gray suit with a purple tie, to compliment his purple shoes. He smoothly started calling out the twenty five names on his list.

While the names were being called, Todo couldn't help but examine all of the contestants traversing through the door. Not only that, but there was one person in particular he worried about: a girl by the name of Zoren. She was dark and intimidating. She had black hair, blue eyes, and usually wore red lipstick, a black dress, and red boots. She was very pale in complexion, and didn't hang around people. Rumor was, she annihilated someone just for teasing her. No one knew if it was true, but no one was dumb enough to ask. She was in this competition too, and he could already feel that she would be a threat.

"Todo." Todo zoned back in as his named was called, got up, and walked to the podium. The principal glared solemnly at him as he handed Todo the creamy white book. As Todo walked towards the doorway, he took one last look at the room. The chipped red paint, the dusty gray floor, and the shoddy tables were comforting to him. There was cracked spot in the floor, in which he had challenged Ted to a fight, just one of his many brawls at the school. He felt tears well up in his eyes, so he quickly turned away to prevent the other students from seeing them, and walked through the door. He knew that was the last thing he'd see for a while until he returned home.

Todo arrived in an ally at the back of a pizzeria. As he exited the ally, the faint scent of melted cheese filled his nostrils. 'Hm... Didn't know they had such great smelling aromas in this world,' he thought. He looked into the window of the pizzeria, and watched as the chef took the pizza out of a brick oven. His mouth watered, and his stomach growled. 'That's right, I didn't eat this morning. But I don't have any cash...'

He walked into the pizzeria, book in hand. "Hey, big guy!" he shouted. The chef turned around. "See if you can read this." He sat the book on the counter. The chef walked over, opened the book, and looked at it for a second, before finally saying, "Sorry kid, I can't read it. What kinda language is this anyway?"

"Oh, um, it's... For a class... I forgot the name," he quickly lied. The chef shrugged as Todo headed for the door, his head dropped in disappointment. "Hey kid, you hungry?" the chef shouted as Todo headed out the door. Todo turned around and nodded his head. "How about some pizza? On the house." Todo's eyes lit up, and he gladly accepted the offer. The chef smiled, and went to work on the pizza that he'd offered Todo.

"Ahh, that was great!" Todo sighed as he left from the restaurant. His plan had worked; act as if he were helpless, and get free food. Or, maybe he really was helpless; he didn't know. All he knew was that he'd gotten free food. He looked up at his surroundings. There were large, colorful skyscrapers shielding the sky. There were birds playing in the park across from where he was. He smiled at the sight. He went and sat under a tree and dozed off, marveling the beauty of this new place.

He was awakened by a group of boys standing over him. "Hey, little punk! I don't know who you are, but you're on our turf. So move it!" one of the boys said. He looked up at him, and smirked. "Your turf, huh? Well, if it's your turf, then why am I here?" Todo stated. "Hm, seems we got a wise guy here, huh? Beans, let's show him what we do to guys like him!" One of the guys picked Todo up, and kicked in in the groin, making Todo fall to the ground. Todo stared into the face of the guy that they called 'Beans'. Beans wore a beanie (which perhaps the source of his nickname), had a scar next to his eye, which ran down to his cheek, a crooked chin, and a nose that took up almost half of his face. Todo looked over at the ringleader, who was laughing at him. He had a long, pointy nose, thin rimmed glasses, a newly acquired goatee, and was very muscular. His school uniform made it no better, as he only looked more buff in the getup. The third of the boys wore a faded letterman jacket, had a pale complexion, and had droopy eyes, as if he was tired.

"So, you gonna get up, wimp?" the ringleader asked, chuckling. Todo got up, and, after dusting himself off, said, "You sissies can't even kick correctly. How do you plan of fighting with that style?"

"Wha- hey, you don't offend us, you little bastard! Beans, handle this!"

Beans charged at Todo, but this time, Todo was ready. Todo punched him in the jaw, and then whipped a round house kick, sending Beans to the ground. However, in the process, Todo had managed to drop his book.

"Well, well, what's this?" The leader of the trio grabbed the book from the ground and opened it. "What kinda alien language is this, nerd?" Todo sighed in relief at these words. This guy wasn't his book owner. "It's Mamodian," Todo replied. The boy laughed at these words. "Mamodian? What's that, some kinda nerd language? Look here, kid, stop foolin' around with me. Now get off our turf. Oh, and take this book with you too." The boy held out the book as if to hand it to Todo, but tossed it into a garbage can. Todo walked over and grabbed the book, and without warning, charged at the group of guys. The droopy faced boy immediately grabbed Todo and put him in a headlock. "Shouldn't have done that," the leader said. He furiously started punching Todo in the abdomen, making Todo fall to his knees. But this wasn't over. The leader kicked Todo square in the jaw, busting Todo's lip and sending him to the ground. He then picked Todo up, and flung him at a tree. This fight was over.

"Serves you right. C'mon guys, let's go." As they walked off, Todo got up and wiped the blood from his chin. "Man, these humans are tough... Tougher than any mamodo I've met, that's for sure. But I need to stop fooling around, and search for my book owner."

With those words, Todo picked up his book and walked away from the park.

"BAROURU!"


	2. Metronome Masterson

Todo turned to see a gust of air headed his way. He quickly jumped out oops the way, to avoid being hit by the blast.

"What the...?"

"BAROURU!"

Again, another gust of air was blasted at Todo, knocking him into a wall. Two people walked up, a male with a large mustache and goatee combo, and a girl with blonde hair, a white dress, and white shoes.

"Hm, seems that one hit, Naree. Guess you are good for something."

"T-thank y-you, sir..." The girl looked at Todo. "S-sorry I hit you..."

"Sorry?! Isn't fighting other mamodo supposed to happen?! Stop being so soft! BAROURU!"

A gust of air shot out of Naree's hand, aimed at Todo. Todo quickly dodged it and took off running. "Hm, seems like he wants a chase. Let's go Naree!" the man shouted. He immediately took off running, with Naree following behind.

'Ugh, gotta get away from these guys,' Todo thought as he leapt over a cart on the sidewalk. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned around to see Naree and her book owner chasing behind him. "Ha, you think running will help you? BAROURU!"

Todo ducked as more air was pushed his way. He quickly got back up and kept running, scared to stay there and fight without a partner. "Running doesn't solve anything, kiddo!"

Todo slipped into an ally and over a fence, with the two still on his tail. 'Dammit... There's no way I can get away from those two... I'll have to stay and fight!' Todo stopped and turned around, stuffing his book into the back of his pants. He balled up his fists.

"So, the mamodo has decided to fight, huh? Guess he wants to go down with a fight. Naree, ready?"

"Uh... Um... S-should we really fight him? I-I mean, he's defenseless... C-can't we leave him alone?" Naree stuttered.

"Leave him alone? Leave him alone?! You want me to burn this book myself? You little wimp!"

"Shut... Up..." Todo muttered.

"What was that, punk?!" the man shouted, gritting his teeth.

"I said, shut up!" Todo yelled, striking the man with awe. He charged furiously at the man, fist clenched. The man smirked, and, opening the book, yelled, "BAROURU!" Todo was knocked back into the wall, making his back tense up. Todo got back up, and again charged at the man.

"BAROURU!"

Again, Todo was sent backwards into the wall. And again, Todo got up. It was after the fifth time that Todo was down and out. "Ha, did you really think you could beat me? That's hard to manage, even for a punk like you. Hand over that book, and I won't have to cast anymore spells on ya, hear?"

"J-just let him go, Rem... He's defensel-"

"SHUT UP NAREE! You useless little brat!" he yelled, striking her to the ground. "If you want to win in this fight, you have to be ruthless, ya hear? Now, BAROURU!"

Naree opened her mouth, but tilted her head towards the sky. Todo watched in awe. "Did that hit make you stupid?! Aim at h-"

Rem spun around in shock. In the argument with Naree, Todo had left. He ferociously scanned the area looking for any trace of the mamodo, but there was none. "Dammit Naree! You're useless! I should just discard you right here! I'm pretty sure there are stronger-"

"AMGARON!"

Rem was unable to finish his sentence, as a metal arm came headed his way. He was smacked straight in the jaw, knocking him over.

"What the-"

"AMGARON!" Another attack was aimed at Rem, but he quickly scurried out of the way. "Come out, coward!" he yelled in the direction of the attack. Out of the shadows came Todo, accompanied by a dark skinned, scraggly haired boy in a gray shirt and blue jeans.

"Who are you?" Rem asked.

"Metronome. Metronome Masterson. I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is, you're going down." The boy opened the book. "Todo, I want you to aim directly at him. I don't care how you do it, I just want her safe. Do what you have to do. Ready?" Todo nodded.

"AMGARON!"

This battle was over.


	3. The Battle in the Woods

"Th-the book!" Rem shrieked in horror as he watched the book burst into flames. Todo looked at Naree.

"Thanks, Todo, " Naree said, smiling, "I hated the way I was treated, but I had to stick with it, 'cause... He was my book owner..."

"Don't mention it... Stay safe, Naree."

"W-whoa! What's going on, Todo? Why is she transparent?" Metro asked in shock. His eyes grew wide as the girl finally disappeared.

"She's going back to the mamodo world," Todo explained.

"Ma...mo...do World?"

"Yeah. Me and her, we're mamodo. There are 99- er, 98- more like us. Every thousand years, 100 mamodo compete in a tournament to see who becomes the next king of the mamodo world. The last one standing becomes king. The winner is determined by the mamodo that doesn't get his book burned in battle. Once your book is burned, it can't be put out, and you're out of the running for mamodo king."

Metro listened as Todo explained. At the end of it all, Metro got up, and handed the boy back his book. "Look, all this sounds really interesting, but I don't think this is cut out for me."

"Of course it is! You can read the book, and that means you're my book owner."

"Well, you'll have to find someone else, because I can't help you."

"That isn't possible. There's only one person that can be a book owner. C'mon, please?"

Metro thought it over for a moment, before finally giving in. "Fine. I'll help you. But this means we can't lose, 'cause I won't allow it," Metro chuckled, smiling. Todo smiled back, and the two shook hands. "Now, we better get home. I have to convince my mom to let you stay. C'mon." Todo got up, book in hand, and the two boys started off towards Metro's home.

"Hey mom," Metro said as he walked in the door. His mom, a middle age woman with curly black hair, sat in the living room drinking coffee. "Hey Metro. Who is this? And... What happened to him?"

"Oh, hello Mrs. Masterson. My name is Todo, and I look this way cuz I got into a fight..."

"A fight? Why?"

"Oh, it's because I'm-"

"Homeless!" Metro butted in. He looked sternly at Todo, whose eyes met his. Todo nodded in agreement, understanding what was going on. "Homeless? Aww, you poor child! Wait, Metro, we have an extra pallet somewhere. He could stay in your room... if that's okay with you, of course."

"Its fine, mom. C'mon Todo, let's go upstairs."

Metro's room was a mess. Piles of unfolded laundry made the floor almost nonexistent. The blue paint on the wall was chipping, and there was a smell of sweat and potato chips. "Well, this is my room. It's a bit dirty, but I'll straighten it up since you'll be sleeping here. Make yourself at home."

Todo scanned the room a bit before finally sitting in a chair posted by the wall. Metro closed the door as he entered behind.

"So, this 'spell book'... Is this your only spell?"

"Yeah, for now. When we get stronger, more spells are supposed to appear in the book. So, we'll just have to keep winning until another spell shows up. We can win this. We just gotta train."

"Hm, seems to sound good. Tomorrow's a Saturday, so we have all day to train. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like the perfect time for a battle, dontcha think, Ace?" a voice answered. Todo and Metro turned to see a teenage boy with black hair and an overgrown canine tooth sitting on the ledge of a window, with a brown, tortoise-like creature with scaly black wings.

"I believe so. Books burn better on Saturdays anyway."

"Who are you?!" Todo said, clenching his fists. He tossed the book over to Metro, who watched carefully.

"Careful, we don't wanna fight right now. Save it for tomorrow, okay? How about it?"

"What if we don't wanna fight?" Metro questioned.

"Then we'll burn your book here, with no questions asked. Your choice," the turtle like creature answered.

'Grr... If we don't fight, then the book is gonna be burned. But if we do, then..'

"Fine. We'll fight," Todo spoke up. Metro looked worryingly at Todo, who had a stern expression on his face. 'Todo seems set on it. Guess we'll have to battle...'

"It's set then. Tomorrow, at 2 o' clock, we battle in a secluded area... The forest, perhaps." the tortoise like creature stated. The boy then got atop the turtle, and they left through the window. Metro quickly ran to the window to see if they made it to the ground, but by the time he had gotten there, they were gone. Metro turned and looked at Todo, who was furiously staring at the wall.

"Todo, we have to win this. Those two look powerful. That means-"

"We have to train early tomorrow. We wake up early and get straight to training."

Metro stared at Todo for a minute, before agreeing. They both agreed to wake up early to start their training. They cleared the floor (a task which was no easy feat!) and laid on the floor, writing down a training regimen for the following day.

After a few hours, the two decided to call it quits. Todo laid out his pallet on the floor, and, after saying their goodnights, they went to bed. Metro, however, lie on the mat in thought. 'What if the training proves useless? I'd hate to lose Todo after one day. But I can't refuse to battle... They'll just destroy the book anyway... Maybe if we train enough, we'll get another spell. A spell strong enough to defeat them... Maybe...'

"Okay, time to get started!"

It was bright and early in the morning. Metro and Todo had woken up early and packed breakfast and a lunch to be eaten later on. They didn't want to fight on an empty stomach.

Metro opened the book, whileTodo aimed at a tree.

"AMGARON!"

The attack made a hole in the tree. Metro smiled. "Well, with an attack that powerful, we may have an advantage. Whaddya think?"

"Maybe. But if I were to extend it, do you think I'd get better reach?"

Metro pondered over this before answering. "Maybe so, but that could also be a disadvantage. See, if he sees the attack coming, then he'll move. But at closer range, he'll be more likely to get hit. Let's see how well you can control the spell." Metro read the spell again, and told Todo to try and extend it fully.

"Hm, five feet seems to be your max. It'll come in handy, if we can use it right. Okay, now to see how much pressure this attack can take. Aim it at that rock over there." Metro pointed to a boulder in the corner of the forest.

"AMGARON!"

The attack was stopped by the boulder, but not before pushing it a few inches. 'So, the attack only stops when it makes contact with an object. But is there a way to control the length and the force of the attack?' Metro thought. "Okay Todo, this time, I want you to aim at me. Try to prevent it from hitting me. Don't worry, if it gets too close, I'll close the book and cancel the spell."

Todo, though reluctant at first, took aim at Metro, and Metro read the spell. As the attack neared Metro, Todo tried to put it to a stop, to no avail. Metro immediately closed the book, and the spell was canceled. They practiced this for about two hours more, all results being the same as the first. After the last failed attempt, they gave up and decided to rest for lunch.

"Todo, do you think we'll win this battle?" Metro asked as the two sat eating homemade sandwiches. "I mean, those two look horrendously strong."

"We'll win. I'm sure of it. We just have to time the spells right, and we can win," Todo assured him. The two finished off their sandwiches, and rested for another hour, waiting for the mamodo Ace and his partner.

"So, I see you two made it to the fight. Ready to do this?" the boy asked, pulling out a green book from his bag. Metro opened his book. The two teams took opposite sides of the forest. "Well, you first," Todo said, smirking.

"FLARIDO!"

A blast of fire erupted from the mamodo's mouth. The battle was on.


	4. The Second Spell

Todo and Metro quickly scampered out of the way of the flames. The flames hit a tree, which immediately caught on fire.

"AMGARON!"

Todo's arm shot out, barely hitting Ace as he jumped out of the way. "Nice shot, kid. But you're gonna need more than that to beat me. Wolfie, the second spell!"

"FLARIDORUGA!"

A more concentrated blast of fire was shot at Todo, who took a direct hit. "Heh, seems blocking attacks isn't your strong point. Another one, Wolfie."

The boy named Wolfie nodded. "FLARIDORUGA!"

This time, Todo dodged the attack. "Metro! Use an attack when he uses his attack!" he yelled. Metro nodded.

"FLARIDO!"

"AMGARON!"

The metal arm shot through the attack, not only canceling it, but hitting Ace directly in the jaw. 'Just as I thought... He can't counter when using a spell... I wonder if Metro has noticed?' Todo thought. He looked over at Metro, who nodded his head. 'Good, he knows. Now, all we have to do is keep that up.'

"FLARIDORUGA!"

"Todo, aim at the ground! AMGARON!"

Todo shot up into the air, avoiding the attack. He landed in a tree.

"AMGARON!"

Todo aimed at Ace, landing another direct hit. The turtle-like mamodo staggered. "So, you guys have a pretty ranged attack, hm? What's the limit, like 5 feet?" Wolfie retorted. 'Crap,' Metro thought, 'he figured it out.'

"Fine, I guess we'll have to level the playing field. Ace, the third spell! EMU EIJASU!"

Flames shot up from underground, burning the ground and trees into ashes. Todo grabbed Metro. "The spell! Read it now!"

"AMGARON!"

Todo aimed the attack at the ground, shooting him and Metro into the air. "Ugh... Metro! I don't think this is high enough! We need to do something, fast!"

"There isn't anything we can do! We don't have another spell! Try extending it!"

"I... Can't! I'm at my limit!

"Ha! So I guess this is it for you guys, huh?!" Wolfie chuckled.

"Errr... Todo! The second spell! LANZE AMGARON!"

Todo's arms changed form, taking the shape of a lance. Todo and Metro shot into the air, barely escaping the rising flames. "T-Todo! We did it! The second spell!" Metro exclaimed. Todo nodded as the flames died, revealing a soot covered Ace and Wolfie.

"Seems you guys narrowly escaped defeat. But that isn't good enough. Ace, I think I have enough energy for one more attack left. Let's make it count. FLARIDORUGA!"

"Todo, make this count!" Metro shouted as they reached the ground. Todo took aim at the attack. " LANZE AMGARON!"

The attack pierced through Ace's flames. Ace quickly jumped out of the way. "W-Wolfie! Are we out of heart power?"

"...Yeah... This battle is over," Wolfie replied. He closed the book, smiling. "So, I guess we've witnessed the true power of a strong team. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Wolfie. This here, he's my mamodo, Ace."

"I'm Metro. Todo here is my partner. Why did you guys insist on fighting us?"

Wolfie wiped the soot from his face, before saying, "We wanted to test the strength of a mamodo team such as yourself. Let me explain: recently, we've run into a mamodo by the name of Black. Through the use of some sort of magic, he's allowed himself to break the rules of the competition and use spells freely, without the use of a book owner. He's been recruiting mamodo to fight for him, freeing them from the rule of needing a book owner. Currently, we don't know how to beat them. With no books, they're unbeatable. We need your help."

"What makes you that we're able to defeat them? We've only got two spells, one of which we obtained recently. And that one hasn't been used much, only twice," Todo questioned.

"True, but we don't plan on going directly to defeat Black. You guys have a few weeks to think about it, so you don't have to make any decisions yet. We'll be going now. You two, stay safe. "

With that, Wolfie and Ace walked off. Metro and Todo watch them leave, until they were no longer in sight. Finally, Todo spoke up. "Metro, if they're telling the truth, then that means that we need to get stronger. We only have two spells, but that means we'll have to make them work until we get more."

Metro agreed. "We have a few weeks until the final decision, so that means we have just enough time to train, and hopefully acquire new spells. We'll have to train every week. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good. Now, we'd better get home and rest. We couldn't deal with another battle out of the blue. With those words, Metro and Todo trudged through the forest back home.

* * *

"So... It seems he's gathering mamodo to help him..."

"Y-yes, my lord. Right now, he has no allies, but there is one team in particular that is considering it."

"Oh really? Well, teams like that should be destroyed. I want them destroyed as soon as possible. Is that clear, Skull?"

A skeleton-like mamodo stepped from the shadows. "Yes, my lord."


	5. The Battle of the Minds

For the next few days, Todo and Metro trained. They worked twice a day, mastering their two spells, thinking up new strategies, and working on the pros and cons of each spell. Finally, after a week of intense training, they had given up, disappointed with the fact that no new spells had shown up.

"I don't know why no new spells showed up," Metro said, looking through the book one Saturday. He closed it and looked at Todo, who was busy staring out the window.

"Whatcha looking at, Todo?" Metro asked.

"Mamodo... There's a mamodo."

"What? A... Mamodo?"

"Outside. A boy and his partner are outside. They're waiting."

"For what?"

"I don't know."

Metro and Todo stared at the crew. The boy had on a long, draping robe, with black hair, who looked no more than 5. The girl had on a black dress, blonde hair with a purple streak, and wore purple rimmed glasses. The two looked up at Metro and Todo.

"Todo... They've spotted us."

"I guess we'll have to fight. Grab the book," Todo said, rushing down the stairs. Metro grabbed the book and quickly followed after him.

When they arrived outside, the girl still had her eyes on them. "So, you are the one they call Metro," she calmly stated, opening a black spell book. Metro gulped. 'She seems like she knows what she's doing... I don't know what to say.'

"Are you ready to battle?" she asked.

Metro nodded. "Not here though. There's a park-"

He was interrupted as he and Todo found themselves in another dimension. "Shall we begin?" the girl asked. Metro nodded, opening the book.

"AMGARON!"

"Psyrusu."

Todo's attack was met with a blast of psychic energy, canceling it out. Metro smirked.

"LANZE AMGARON!"

"Psyrusu."

Todo's attack was met with another blast of psychic energy, canceling out the spell. Metro watched in awe. 'She's not even putting any energy into it... She's saying the spells so...'

"Nonchalantly?" The girl had read Metro's mind. "Were you expecting this? No. You weren't expecting that a ten year old would be able to read and comprehend such complex thoughts such as yours. And on top of that, you only have two spells, which were both destroyed by Jewel's low-level attack. This battle is in our favor."

"H-how'd you know that?!" Todo yelled.

The mamodo, Jewel, spoke up. "Simple. We're psychics. Our abilities surpass those of you normal teams. The second spell, Rita."

"Psyrudo."

Nothing happened. Metro smirked. "So, I guess you didn't use enough energy in that last attack. Todo-"

He looked over at Todo, who wasn't moving. "T-Todo!"

Rita smirked. "The spell is merely to prevent movement. It doesn't work so well on humans, so we couldnt use it on you. However, we still have a way to render you useless. The third spell, Psyron."

Metro was lifted into the air. "Wh-what?! H-how?"

"This spell allows use to control you through our minds. This spell has won numerous battles for us, making the book owner give us the book."

"Me...tro..." Todo struggled to get the words out of his mouth. "Me...tro... Don't... Give... Them... The book..."

"Todo!"

"Resistance won't work. No matter how much you try. And he can't even save you, he's unable to move. No amount of force can defeat us."

"Me...tro... The book..."

Metro looked at the book. A white light was coming from it. He flipped it open. "The third spell! AMGARUSEN!"

Todo's hands ejected, hitting Jewel in the face. Metro immediately dropped, and Todo was free to move again.

"A long range attack... Todo, behind me! Look, your movement can be prevented, but mine can't! I can only be moved out of the way, and they lose focus when hit!" Metro told Todo. Todo agreed, and got behind him.

"You think we don't know your strategy? We read minds, have you forgotten?"

"Oh really? Todo, The first spell! LANZE AMGARON!" Metro shouted, moving out of the way.

"Wh- what?! That can't be right! They were supposed to use 'Amgaron', not 'Lanze Amgaron'!" Rita exclaimed. The attack struck, piercing Jewel in his shoulder.

"Good, now! The second spell, AMGARUSEN!"

The two fists ejected, knocking Rita over. She furiously got up, yelling, "PSYRUSU!"

"Now, the fourth spell! AMGARUK!"

Todo's hands transformed into hammers, and he quickly dodged the attack, almost instantly hitting Jewel.

'Another close range spell... Not only that, it increases his speed while giving his arms some power,' Metro thought.

"Todo! Go grab the book!" Metro shouted.

Todo nodded, and dashed towards Rita, who was now cowering in fear. He grabbed the book, and returned back to Metro.

"Take us home. Now," Metro stated. Rita snapped, and instantly they were back in their front yard. "Now, I wanna know who sent you."

Todo looked at Metro suspiciously. "Metro, what do you mean?"

"They were sent by someone. Otherwise, they wouldn't have tried to battle us. Am I right?" he said, not taking his eyes off of the girl.

"W-what makes you so sure?!" the girl shouted fiercely, clenching her fists.

"The fact that you were so unaware of how to battle, that shows that you were forced to battle with us, because a team such as you would only battle in an emergency, being so young."

The girl fell silent, before finally muttering up a name. "Black. He told us he would make us extra powerful if we helped him."

"Black? When did this 'Black' come to you?"

"A couple of days ago. Said something about becoming a 'Blackheart Mamodo'... That we needed to prove ourselfs loyal."

"Did he tell you how he would do it?"

"No, he just said that he would 'unlock our potential'."

"Hm... Listen, he's a mamodo that is hacking the rules of the competition. He's making it possible for mamodo to use their spells without a partner or a book. We don't know how, but we want to stop it."

"Hehehe... It's impossible to stop him," Jewel spoke up.

Metro looked over at him. "What?"

"He can't be beaten. Even if you tried. He's got tons of spells, and is able to unlock them all. Rumor is, he had to undergo special training to get to the level he's at.

"Trust me, we can beat him. We just need your help."

"No way. Can you burn my book now? I don't wanna be here when you get destroyed."

Metro said nothing else, and reached in his pocket, pulling out a lighter. He flicked it on, setting the book on fire.

"Heh, thanks." Jewel looked at Todo. "See ya when you get back to the mamodo world, chump." He laughed hysterically, until he finally disappeared. When all this was over, Metro and Todo went back in the house.

* * *

"Metro?" Todo asked as they drifted off to sleep.

"Yeah?"

"We have to help Wolfie and Ace. Otherwise, countless mamodo will be corrupted by Black."

"I know. And even if we didn't want to get involved, we'd be pulled into it regardless."

"Yeah..."


	6. No Laughing Matter

Weeks passed. Finally, Metro and Todo got a letter in the mail to meet them in a restricted area of the forest. Metro read it over carefully, and looked at Todo.

"Are we going?" Todo asked. He had been listening while Metro had been reading. Metro nodded. "It could be a letter from Wolfie, telling us to meet him so that we can get started on our task to stop the Blackheart mamodo."

"But wouldn't he have put his name on it?" Todo questioned.

"Maybe he was rushing to send them out and forgot. Or maybe he wanted it to be anonymous. I know I would. We're supposed to meet him this evening, at 7. It's already 6:30, so we'd better get going. C'mon, let's go."

Metro grabbed Todo's cream colored book from the desk, running down the stairs. However, Todo didn't move an inch. 'Something about this doesn't feel right... If they wanted us to go somewhere, wouldn't they tell us to go somewhere more common?'

"C'mon Todo! We haven't time to waste!" Metro shouted from downstairs. Todo sighed, fearing the worst, and went downstairs.

They arrived at the area 5 minutes early. No one else was there. Metro looked around.

"Anyone here?" Metro yelled into the open area. No answer. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait."

"Metro, I have a bad feeling about this. You sure that note was from them?"

"I don't know. But their the only ones who would know about this, so it's gotta be them."

"Oh, but how wrong you are," a voice chuckled behind them. Metro and Todo turned around swiftly, to the sight of a clown with blueish hair and a big red nose. His face was covered heavily in white paint, and he wore a tattered purple suit with a yellow flower on it.

"Who are you?" Metro asked, but Todo already knew the answer.

"His name's Clown. He went to my school back in the mamodo world. And he isn't just any old trickster either. Clown, I thought you getting expelled from Central meant that you weren't gonna be able to participate in the competition?" Todo said, staring at Clown up and down.

The mamodo smirked. "Heh, well, if that's the case, then why am I here? Hm?"

"Todo, how'd he get expelled?" Metro asked.

"He let a trick get outta hand. It ended up killing a lot of the teachers in the school. And all he did was laugh, like it was nothing. I thought he had went to a mental hospital, but I guess not." Metro could feel the fear in Todo's eyes. He put his hand on Todo's shoulder.

"Ha, you remember that, huh? Guess that means you won't hold back," Clown said, laughing hysterically.

"Hey, you shut up," Metro said angrily, pulling out his book.

"I wasn't planning on fighting, but I guess I can entertain it," Clown said sarcastically. "But I should tell you, I may be a clown, but I don't joke around when it comes to battles."

"Ha, how're you gonna battle without a-" Metro stopped mid sentence, and his eyes got wide, as the mamodo let out a hysterical cackle. "No... You can't be... A..."

"Blackheart mamodo? Er, let's see, does this answer your question? JOBONYURUSU!"

A purple bubble came out of the flower on Clown's chest, and headed for Metro. Todo tackled Metro out of the way.

"Metro! We can't fight him!"

"Why not? He just blows bubbles. He can't be that strong."

Todo pointed to the bubble, which had come into contact with a tree. It hit the tree, and the tree sizzled, shriveling into nothing. "Acid, his spells are highly acidic, which means if we even touch it, we're done for."

Clown clapped. "Seems about right. I can put it even simpler: if my spell touches you, you die. Ahahahahahahaha!"

"Well then we won't touch you! AMGA-"

"No Metro! All my spells involve my body parts! Amgarusen may be a long range spell, but my hands are still involved!"

'Ugh, he's right,' Metro thought, 'but if we can't counter, then how are we supposed to beat him?'

"You guys done already? No fun! JOBONYURUSU!"

Another bubble was cast, and Todo quickly moved Metro and himself out of the way, attempting to make a run for it.

"Oh, you can't leave yet! The party hasn't even started! BALE JOBONYURUSU!"

Bubble-based clones started appearing around Metro and Todo.

"AMGARUK!"

Metro grabbed onto Todo's shoulders, and Todo sprinted from the midst of the clones.

"Hahahahahahahaaaa! That was fast! But my next spell is faster! GANZU JOBONYURUSU!"

Rapid fire bubbles came out of Clown's flower. Todo quickly dodged each of them, still with Metro on his shoulders. Todo put Metro down as his spell wore off. "Metro, we can't get away! What are we gonna do?"

"I-I don't know," Metro stuttered, "We cant fight back! Otherwise, your spells will be burned away instantly."

"Tsk tsk," Clown said from the other side of the field, shaking his head. "You've gotten lucky, being able to dodge my fastest attack. But can you dodge my ultimate attack?! NYURU BYTHON!"

From the flower on Clown's chest came a python. The python had scaly like bubbly protrusions, and acid poured out of its fangs. "Let's see how well you dodge this!"

Metro and Todo stared in horror. "Todo! We can't win this!"

"I know. But even if I die, I'll defend you. Use the third spell. I'll try to hold it off."

There was a look of bravery inTodo's eyes, but Metro knew Todo has fear in his body. Metro flipped open the book. "AMGURUK!"

Todo charged at the spell, not looking back at Metro. Metro dove behind a tree, not wanting to watch.

Todo quickly dashed in front of the attack, taking it head on. Clown laughed hysterically as Todo fell to the ground, his skin burning off from the attack. "Now do you see the true power of this fool?! HAHAHAAAAA!" Clown shrieked hysterically, pushing the spell with even more force. "I... Don't... Care!" Todo retorted, bleeding beyond recognition. "Me...Tro..."


End file.
